*3 The
Bollandists
have no doubt, that the lives and miracles of the holy men, who
twenty-one years.
twenty-one years.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v3
TiioseActsaregivenin a historic commentary of four sections, containing eighteen paragraphs.
The Bollandists state, that as St.
Baldred and Bilfrid lived in the same age, and in the same country, so after death, their relics t\'ere presented for veneration to the faithful, in the same church.
Those holy men are commemorated, likewise, by Bishop Challoner,"^ and by Rev.
S.
Baring-Gould ;3 while the Rev.
Alban Butler'* only notices St.
Baldrede, at this day.
The Scottishs and English historians^ have references to them.
It is barely possible, that one or both of those may have been of Irish origin, nothing having been recorded, regardingtheirnatalplaces.
TheBreviaryofAberdeen?
containsanaccount of St.
Baldred—who is also called Baltherus^—and a remarkable Celtic saint, venerated in Scotland.
s A summary of his actions will be found, in
*"
See Kalendais of Scottish Saints," tis Balthero Presbytero et Bilfrldo Auri-
ead of Cill
Carthaighe
said to be the
present Kilcarr,'
in Done-
pp. 256 to 268. —
Article xiii. 'Edited by Rev. Dr.
fabro, in Scotia et Anglia, pp. 448 to 452.
'
See "Britannia Sancta," part i. , March vi. , p. 159.
Kelly, p. xvii.
"See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus
3
See "Lives of the vol. Saints,"
i. , Martii vi. Among the pretermitted saints,
iii. ,
p. 420.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
March vi. , pp. 94, 95.
* See '•' Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs,
and other Principal Saints," vol. iii. , March
68,69. — vi.
's Article xiv. Such is the identifica-
tion in William M. Hennessy's note.
" This is said to have been identical with the present barony of Banagh, in the county
of Donegal.
3 See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish
Academy," Irish MSS. Series, vol. i. , part i. , pp. 94, 95.
Article xv. —' See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Martii vi. De Sanctis Anachore*
Such as Bcetius, Major, Lesley, Forbes, &c.
* Such as Turgot, and Simeon of Durham, Matthew of Westminster, Selden, &c.
i Pars Hyemalis, fol. Ixiii. , Ixiiii.
^ In a Fragmentum Historioe de Pontifici- bus Eboracensibus. See Mabillon's "Acta Sanctorum Ordinis S. Benedicti," pars, ii. ,
p. 508.
s The Bollandists consider, that the Calen-
darists and some of the Scottish historians may have confounded St. Baldred with St. Baithen, the immediate successor of St. Co-
* See Thomas Lalor Cooke's "
tory of the Town of Birr," chap, x. , pp. 169, 170.
Early
His-
March 6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 203
Bishop Forbes' work. ^° There we learn, that this saint became a hermit, in remote desert places, and in islands of the sea. One of these is known as the Bass Rock," where the existence of a ruin^^ testifies to the former habi- tation of an island saint,'3 known as Baldred or Baltherus. He is stated, to have been the suffragan'4 of St. Kentigern,^5 and when the latter died,^^ here his disciple often meditated on the bitter passion of Christ, in fasting and weeping, while he recalled the memories of his great Master. He taught the faith in three parochial churches, viz. , Aldhame,^? Tynynghame'^ and Pres- toune,'9 which had been subjected to him by St. Mungo. It is traditionally held, that a rock, impeding the navigation, and afterwards called the Tumba
or Scapha of St. Baldred, moved beneath him to the shore. He also per-
formedothermiracles,andbecamecelebratedthroughoutLaudonia. Heis
said, to have walked on the water, like St. Peter, and to have obtained
pardon for the soul of a deacon, who before his death had fallen into a carnal
sin. Worn out by extreme old age, he died in the house of the parish priest,
atAldhame. Histhreechurchesputinaclaimforhisbody,andtherefore
the people were requested to pray God, that he might give a sign. On the
next morning, three bodies were laid out, each with the same exequial pomp,
when each carried off one assumed to their own ^° congregation body church,
where it was kept in honourable veneration. The date for his death is a. d.
606, according to Dempster, or a. d. 608, according to Bishop Forbes ; but, Simeon of Durham and Hovenden^' have it, at a. d. 756. By Dempster, he is called. Bishop of Glasgow, and he is said to have Written a book, " De Scoticje Ecclesias Statu. " ^^ makes our saint a
John Lesley^s
among the Picts, and a contemporary with St. Columba,^+ and Aidan, the forty-ninth Scottish king. Turgot states,^5 that Presbyter Baltherus died, in theseventeenthyearofCynouulf's pontificate,^^overtheseeofLindisfarne,
lumba, over the monastery at lona. Again,
it would seem, that St. Baldred has been in-
correctly called a bishop, and that the Bre-
viary of Aberdeen has falsely assigned him
to the age, when St. Kentigern lived, while
Baldred flourished a century later. See
Malcolm the Maiden. See Robertson's "Statuta Ecclesiastica Scotiae," vol. ii. , p. 261. This monastery was richly endowed with lands.
'^ At Preston Kirk some places near the church still bear his name : thus, St. Bal- dred's well, and Baldred's whill, a pool or eddy in the river. See the " Old Statistical Account of Scotland," vol. xi,, p. 87. Also "New Statistical Account of Scotland," vol. vi. Haddington, pp. 21, 58.
"
Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Martii vi.
De Sanctis Anachoretis Balthero Presbytero
et Bilfrido Aurifabro in Scotia et Anglia,
sect, ii. , pp. 448 to 450.
'°
See "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," pp. 273, 274.
^°
Similar accounts are frequent, in the
" This was almost an impregnable citadel, in the old province of Laudonia, about two miles out from the coast line, and surrounded on every side by the sea,
Acts of Celtic saints, especially in reference
to popular disputes to acquire relics. Hector
Boece has the foregoing account in his
" Historia Scotise," lib. ix. , fol. 171.
*' In his " Annales. "
"See "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
" An
the
interesting work,
tion of five Edinburgh literati, has been
published: " The Bass Rock, its Civil and Scotorum," tomus i,, lib. ii. , num. 122. p.
joint produc-
Ecclesiastical History, Geology, Martyr- 65. For what he asserts, Dempster cites
ology. Zoology, and Botany. " John Lesley's "Historia Scotise," lib. iv. ,
'3 Mr. James Millar published a Poem, in p. clii. , and John Fordun's Manuscript
"
St. Baldred of the Bass. " According to Bower and other writers.
1825, intituled
"Historia Scotorum," lib. vii. , preserved in St. Benedict's College, Cambridge.
"3 See " De Origine, IMoribus et Rebus
Gestis Scotorum," lib. iiii. , p. 152. Romse mdlxxviii. 4to.
=•» SeehisLife,atthe9thofJune,
»5 in "Historia Dunelmensis," lib. ii. , cap. ii.
=6 This began in 740.
'^ He ruled over the kingdom of Nor-
thumbria, during a disturbed period, for
'''
'S See notices of him at the 13th of Ja- nuary, and at the 13th of November.
'*
This is said to have happened, about A. D. 530, when he was one hundred and eighty-three years old.
'7 His cave is shown on the coast near Aldhame.
'**
The church of St. Baldred, here, had the right of Sanctuary, in the charter of
missionary
2 04 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 6.
and in the twentieth year of King Eadbert's reign,=7 and on the day before theNonesofMarch. Accordingtothedataheregiven,theBollandistswill have it, that his death occurred, a. d. 756, or at least in the year 757. The next holy man, whose name is associated with Balther, and at the same date, does not appear to have had special relations with him during life. About St. Bilfrid or Bilfred, we have little information. We do not even know that exact place, with which he was connected, but this appears to be somewhere in the diocese of Lindisfarne. During this retirement, he practised the art of the goldsmith, and a specimen of his taste, as an artist, yet exists in the Cot- tonian library, in the British Museum, London. It is a Book of Gospels,^^ ornamented with gems and gold,"9 which was long preserved at Durham. ^o As Bishop Eadfrid succeeded Eadberts^ over Lindisfarne see, where he sat from A. D. 698 to A. D. 720,32 g^jj(j ^g Bilfrid seems to have been his contem- porary, or to have flourished soon after his time, it may not be amiss to ascribe his period to the seventh or eighth century. The day and year for his death have not been discovered. We read, that Anlaf, the Dane, burned
the church and monastery of Tyningham, a. d. 941,^3 or 95i. 3'» Immediately afterwards, he was struck with a sudden illness and died. About two cen-
turies later, a priest, named Elfrid, or Elfred,35 recovered the relics of St. Bil- frid, by a revelation ; and, with these, he also recovered the remains of St.
Acca,3S St. Alkmund,37 the Bishop, King Oswin,38 ^-^^ ^^ Abbesses, Ebba39 and Ethelgitha, being directed to them, by visions. The bones of St. Balther and of St. Bilfrid were put together, ^vith the body of St. Cuthbert,4° in his shrine,atDurham. Butin1104,theywereremovedfromthisshrine,^'and were placed in the shrine of Venerable Bedc^^ The various relics were assigned special places of honour in the great Cathedral of Durham.
*3 The Bollandists have no doubt, that the lives and miracles of the holy men, who
twenty-one years. See Dr. Lingard's "His- tory of England," vol. i. , chap, iii. , p. no. ^ This highly ornate Manuscript has the Prefaces and Canons of Eusebius and of St.
3« His feast occurs, on the 6th of May.
^a At this period, Bishop Ethelwold suc- ceeded, and died on the 1 2th of Febmary,
a. d. 740. This prelate engaged Bilfrid to Jerome in the beginning, while it has a labour, at the work of ornamenting the Saxon version of Aldred Presbyter inserted Book of Gospels, according to Turgot, in
between the lines. This is the Book of St. his " Historia Dunelmensis," lib. ii, cap. Cuthbert, alluded to by Turgot, and by xi.
Simeon of Durham, according to Selden.
"9 A curious story is told, by Turgot, in his "Historia Dunelmensis," lib. ii. , cap. xi. , xii. , that to save it from Danish ravages, this book was brought to Ireland, in a ship, that it fell overboard, and was again mira-
33 See Matthew of Westminster's " Flores Historiarum," a. d. DCCCXLi. , p. 365.
34
Baronius, in his "Annales Ecclesias- tici," thus corrects the chronotaxis of Mat- thoeus Westmonasteriensis.
3S He is called the son of Weston, ia "
culously recovered, that its folios did not Turgot's Historia Dunelmensis," lib. iii. ,
seem in the least stained, by the action of the waves, which was attributed to the merits of St. Cuthbert, and that, in fine, about 1 100, it was preserved in the church of Durham.
cap. vii.
3* His feast is usually assigned to the 20th
of October, the day of his death. His Life occurs, at the same date, in our collection, as classed among the Irish Saints.
30 "On the cover is '»! < Eadfrid, Oetil-
wald, Billfrith, Aldred hoc Evangelium tember.
Deo et Cuthberto construxerunt et ornave-
38 His feast occurs on the 20th of August,
;'
April,
above this in Saxon characters, and
39 Her festivals are on the 2nd qf
nint
in a Northumbrian dialect,
the anchorite he fabricated the curious
works that are on the outside, and it adorned
with gold and with gems, also with silver
overgilded, a priceless treasure. ' Billfri—th
is supposed to be a local form of Bilfred. "
Rev. S. Baring-Gould's "Lives of the the Saints, vol. iii. , March vi. , p. 95. Saints," vol. iii. , March vi. , p. 95. *3 See the Bollandists' "Acta Sancto-
'
And Billfrith,
and 25th of August,
<° See his Life, at the 20th of March,
*' The head of St. Oswald was alone left
37 His festival belongs to the 9th of Sep-
with St. Cuthbert's remains. The Life of St. Oswald is given, at the 5th of August,
*' "
See Rev. S. Baring-Gould's Lives of
"
March 7. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 205
are here commemorated, had been formerly written. While some writers
have placed their festivals, at the 29th of March, and others, at the 27th of
November, most Calendarists prefer the present date. The Scottish Kalen-
dars have St. Baldred, Bishop and Confessor. Thus, the Kalendar of Aber-
deennoteshimPridieNonasMartii. 44 Likewise,inAdamKing'sKalendar,
weread "S. BaldredebischopofGlascowsuccess,toS. Mugoandcofess. :
vnderKingAidanus. S. Fredolinecof. ScotismovnderAnastasi,''atthe6th "
of March. In Dempster's Menologium Scoticum,'' we find the following notices, at the same date, about Baldred, Bishop of Preston, whose body^s was found by Divine power to appease dissensions among the faithful. ^^ St. Balther was venerated with an office, containing nine Lessons.
Article XVI. —Reputed Feast of St. Duthac or Dubthac, Bishop
OF Ross, Scotland. [^Eleventh Century^ St. Duthac, the Bishop, is com-
memorated in the Kalendar " De Nova ^ at the ii. or 6th of Farina," Nones,
March. Hislifeismoreproperlyreferable,tothe8thofthismonth.
^ebentl) 23ay of ilattfj.
ARTICLE I. —ST. MOCELLOC, HERMIT. [FOURTH AND FIFTH CENTURIES. 1
men are willing to look back occasionally into bygone ages, if
MOST that their mental they find, eye
can he
to
the cloud
pierce
which overhangs the past. ^ Yet, with much uncertainty, Colgan^ and the Bollandists3 treat about those statements, which after them we feel here com-
pelled to submit. This saint, originally called Celloc—or perhaps Cellan*—
had the endearing appellative, mo, prefixed to his name, according to a custom of our ancestors, when they wished to express great veneration for a person. 5 He was one of the first converts to our holy faith in Ireland, having flourished before St. Patrick's^ time, according to our ancient records. It is said, our saint was baptized, so early as a. d, 347. That he must have been born, about the middle, or in the earlier part, of the fourth century, would appear, if we credit Ussher's statement, that about a. d. 364,7 this saint, in
nam," tomus i. , Martii vi. De Sanctis blot in Colgan's valuable works—they are
Anachoretis Balthero Presbytero et Bilfrido Aurifabro, sect, iv. , pp. 450, 451.
made pp. 601, 602.
3 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. ,
44 See " of the Proceedings
of
Martii vii. the Among
pretermitted saints,
Society Scottish Antiquaries," vol. ii. , p. 262.
p. 628.
4 At the end of Irish
45 It is added "
4* See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of commutative, in giving them a distinctive
triplicatum. "
names,
oc and an
are
Scottish Saints," pp. 113, 146, 194. Article xvi. —' See Bishop Forbes'
"Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 69.
qualification.
s See Colgan's note I, to this saint's Acts,
p. 112 {recte).
^ See his Life, at the of March. 17th
7 At the year 364, Ussher writes Mochellocus, Beanus, Colmanus, Lachninus,
Articlei. —' See"TheDublin
Literary
Gazette, and National Magazine," vol. i. ,
No. ii. Art. On the Ancient Histoiy and
:
" SS.
the Antiquities of Ireland, by the Rev. Mobiis, Fmdlugus, et Caminanus, apud
Edward
in — Desienses Campo scuti non procul a Lis-
moria septem claras cellas construxerunt. " "Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates. "
Index Chronologicus, pp. 511, 512.
*
Johnston, &c. , p. 161. ^. ^^ . . " '^'^'•^ Sanctorum
Hibernise," Martii vii. De S. Mocelloco Eremita, pp.
Sll, 5^2 [recti). By a misprint—a frequent
taught
2o6 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
common with six other holy men, constructed separate cells in a place, called
"
site of Lismore. Mocelloc lived as a hermit, in his cell or oratory, according
to tradition, many years before the Gospel had been preached in these parts, by Saints Declan,9 Ailbe'° and Kieran. " In common with other religious eremites of the place, Mocelloc is said to have had a vision, on the night of St. Declan's birth, and that, in consequence, he predicted this infant's future greatness, by declaring that the country and people around should one day be subject to his spiritual rule. After this prediction, the Acts of St. Declan state, that seven just men were baptized, in the name of the most Holy Trinity ; and, afterwards, having constructed cells, they lived there in a reli- giousmanner. Fromwhomtheyreceivedbaptism,oratwhatexacttime, we are not informed. " On St. Declan's return from Rome,^3 these seven eremites—among whom our saint was included—waited on him, and placed theircells,withtheirownpersons,underhisruleanddirection. St. Declan's habitation was at Ardmore,^-* at present, the head of a parish, in the barony of Decies within Drum, in the county of Waterford. Here, indeed, are some interesting ruins of St. Declan's oratory, of the mediaeval monastery, of the Cathedral and of the Round Tower. With a description of this latter structure, we must rest satisfied, in this connexion. The Cloigtheach,^^ of Ardmore, owing to its beauty and fine preservation, is one of the best known structures of its kind in Ireland. '^ Its materials consist of a hard sandstone, chiselled to the curve, and brought from the mountains of Slievegrian, about four miles distant. This tower is about 15 feet in diameter, at the base, whence it gradually tapers to the apex, about 97 feet above the surface of the ground. It terminates in a conical roof, which had been half thrown over by injuries from lightning. F. our string-courses divide the exterior into five stories. '7 The entrance is in the east side, at the distance of thirteen feet,
from the ground. This is circular-headed, and it tapers from i foot 11 inches, at springing of the arch, to 2 feet 7 inches, at the base. The full height of this fine doorway is 5 feet 9 inches. Around the outer edges is boldlycutaNorman'shead; and,ontheinsidearebar-holes,twoateach side of the entrance, for securing the door. '^ The lower stories are lighted, by splaying spike-holes; some of these having square, and some circular, heads. As the visitor ascends, he meets grotesque corbels at intervals and staring at him from the concave walls.
Magh-Scethe,^ which signifies,
the Plain of the Buckler," near the present
windows, facing the cardinal points.
The highest story has four tapered Each of these presents on the exterior
^ This denomination now obsolete.
appears
to be
'* the Irish Ecclesiastical Commis- Lately
"
'* Its extensive bounds are defined on the
Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the
sioners undertook the work of restoring the 9 See the Acts of this saint, at the 24th of ancient remains at Ardmore. In August,
July.
'° The Life of this saint will be seen, at
the 1 2th of September.
" The Acts of St. Kieran will be found,
at the 5th of March.
" The Bollandists regard the notices of
this saint, by Colgan, as eminently unsatis- factory.
»^ By some writers, this is thought to have
been so early as a. d. 402, by others, it is placed, at a much later date.
1877, the writer had an opportunity of as-
cending interiorly to the very topmost story, by means of floors and ladders, which now afford a ready means for ascent. The coni- cal cap has been quite repaired, as presented in our present engraving, and in order to preserve the stmcture, about ten or twelve feet of the topmost original masonry had to be removed ; but, as understood, the style, site, and almost identical stones, were re- placed, with the exception of some unavoid- able re-vamping. It is curious to observe within, and immediately under the arched conical top, two opposite and considerable indentations, in the side walls, as if to allow full play for the swing of a large bell.
County of Waterford," Sheets 30, 35,36, 37, 38, 39, 40. The town and ecclesiastical re- mains there are noted on Sheet 40.
'S Anglicised, "Bell-house. "
'? The accompanying illustration, drawn
[March 7.
March 7. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 207
a triangular arch, and on the interior a trefoil head. In height, they are respectively 3 feet 9 inches. The stone lintels remain over the opes, where the beam for a bell rested. Tradition says, it was of so deep and powerful a
"
the great glen," about 8 miles distant. The apex of the roof was once surmounted, by a cross of stone ; but, this was some years since shot down, by a person firing at birds. '9 A distinguished local antiquary,^° on whose authority we rely for the foregoing
tone, that it was heard at Gleannmhor, or
The Round Tower and Ecclesiastical Remains, at Ardmore, County of Waterford.
details, has no hesitation in assigning this noble structure, to the ninth or
tenth century. For, the mouldings of the doonvay, the grotesque corbel heads in the interior, and the square trefoil heads of the windows, in the
upper story, are thought to belong to that period. He adds, that perhaps we may find a reason for the erection of this Cloig-theach, at such a time, in the unsettled state of the country, owing to the predatory landings of the Dubh-galls, Fionn-galls and other sea-rovers.
*"
See Kalendais of Scottish Saints," tis Balthero Presbytero et Bilfrldo Auri-
ead of Cill
Carthaighe
said to be the
present Kilcarr,'
in Done-
pp. 256 to 268. —
Article xiii. 'Edited by Rev. Dr.
fabro, in Scotia et Anglia, pp. 448 to 452.
'
See "Britannia Sancta," part i. , March vi. , p. 159.
Kelly, p. xvii.
"See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus
3
See "Lives of the vol. Saints,"
i. , Martii vi. Among the pretermitted saints,
iii. ,
p. 420.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
March vi. , pp. 94, 95.
* See '•' Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs,
and other Principal Saints," vol. iii. , March
68,69. — vi.
's Article xiv. Such is the identifica-
tion in William M. Hennessy's note.
" This is said to have been identical with the present barony of Banagh, in the county
of Donegal.
3 See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish
Academy," Irish MSS. Series, vol. i. , part i. , pp. 94, 95.
Article xv. —' See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Martii vi. De Sanctis Anachore*
Such as Bcetius, Major, Lesley, Forbes, &c.
* Such as Turgot, and Simeon of Durham, Matthew of Westminster, Selden, &c.
i Pars Hyemalis, fol. Ixiii. , Ixiiii.
^ In a Fragmentum Historioe de Pontifici- bus Eboracensibus. See Mabillon's "Acta Sanctorum Ordinis S. Benedicti," pars, ii. ,
p. 508.
s The Bollandists consider, that the Calen-
darists and some of the Scottish historians may have confounded St. Baldred with St. Baithen, the immediate successor of St. Co-
* See Thomas Lalor Cooke's "
tory of the Town of Birr," chap, x. , pp. 169, 170.
Early
His-
March 6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 203
Bishop Forbes' work. ^° There we learn, that this saint became a hermit, in remote desert places, and in islands of the sea. One of these is known as the Bass Rock," where the existence of a ruin^^ testifies to the former habi- tation of an island saint,'3 known as Baldred or Baltherus. He is stated, to have been the suffragan'4 of St. Kentigern,^5 and when the latter died,^^ here his disciple often meditated on the bitter passion of Christ, in fasting and weeping, while he recalled the memories of his great Master. He taught the faith in three parochial churches, viz. , Aldhame,^? Tynynghame'^ and Pres- toune,'9 which had been subjected to him by St. Mungo. It is traditionally held, that a rock, impeding the navigation, and afterwards called the Tumba
or Scapha of St. Baldred, moved beneath him to the shore. He also per-
formedothermiracles,andbecamecelebratedthroughoutLaudonia. Heis
said, to have walked on the water, like St. Peter, and to have obtained
pardon for the soul of a deacon, who before his death had fallen into a carnal
sin. Worn out by extreme old age, he died in the house of the parish priest,
atAldhame. Histhreechurchesputinaclaimforhisbody,andtherefore
the people were requested to pray God, that he might give a sign. On the
next morning, three bodies were laid out, each with the same exequial pomp,
when each carried off one assumed to their own ^° congregation body church,
where it was kept in honourable veneration. The date for his death is a. d.
606, according to Dempster, or a. d. 608, according to Bishop Forbes ; but, Simeon of Durham and Hovenden^' have it, at a. d. 756. By Dempster, he is called. Bishop of Glasgow, and he is said to have Written a book, " De Scoticje Ecclesias Statu. " ^^ makes our saint a
John Lesley^s
among the Picts, and a contemporary with St. Columba,^+ and Aidan, the forty-ninth Scottish king. Turgot states,^5 that Presbyter Baltherus died, in theseventeenthyearofCynouulf's pontificate,^^overtheseeofLindisfarne,
lumba, over the monastery at lona. Again,
it would seem, that St. Baldred has been in-
correctly called a bishop, and that the Bre-
viary of Aberdeen has falsely assigned him
to the age, when St. Kentigern lived, while
Baldred flourished a century later. See
Malcolm the Maiden. See Robertson's "Statuta Ecclesiastica Scotiae," vol. ii. , p. 261. This monastery was richly endowed with lands.
'^ At Preston Kirk some places near the church still bear his name : thus, St. Bal- dred's well, and Baldred's whill, a pool or eddy in the river. See the " Old Statistical Account of Scotland," vol. xi,, p. 87. Also "New Statistical Account of Scotland," vol. vi. Haddington, pp. 21, 58.
"
Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Martii vi.
De Sanctis Anachoretis Balthero Presbytero
et Bilfrido Aurifabro in Scotia et Anglia,
sect, ii. , pp. 448 to 450.
'°
See "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," pp. 273, 274.
^°
Similar accounts are frequent, in the
" This was almost an impregnable citadel, in the old province of Laudonia, about two miles out from the coast line, and surrounded on every side by the sea,
Acts of Celtic saints, especially in reference
to popular disputes to acquire relics. Hector
Boece has the foregoing account in his
" Historia Scotise," lib. ix. , fol. 171.
*' In his " Annales. "
"See "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
" An
the
interesting work,
tion of five Edinburgh literati, has been
published: " The Bass Rock, its Civil and Scotorum," tomus i,, lib. ii. , num. 122. p.
joint produc-
Ecclesiastical History, Geology, Martyr- 65. For what he asserts, Dempster cites
ology. Zoology, and Botany. " John Lesley's "Historia Scotise," lib. iv. ,
'3 Mr. James Millar published a Poem, in p. clii. , and John Fordun's Manuscript
"
St. Baldred of the Bass. " According to Bower and other writers.
1825, intituled
"Historia Scotorum," lib. vii. , preserved in St. Benedict's College, Cambridge.
"3 See " De Origine, IMoribus et Rebus
Gestis Scotorum," lib. iiii. , p. 152. Romse mdlxxviii. 4to.
=•» SeehisLife,atthe9thofJune,
»5 in "Historia Dunelmensis," lib. ii. , cap. ii.
=6 This began in 740.
'^ He ruled over the kingdom of Nor-
thumbria, during a disturbed period, for
'''
'S See notices of him at the 13th of Ja- nuary, and at the 13th of November.
'*
This is said to have happened, about A. D. 530, when he was one hundred and eighty-three years old.
'7 His cave is shown on the coast near Aldhame.
'**
The church of St. Baldred, here, had the right of Sanctuary, in the charter of
missionary
2 04 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 6.
and in the twentieth year of King Eadbert's reign,=7 and on the day before theNonesofMarch. Accordingtothedataheregiven,theBollandistswill have it, that his death occurred, a. d. 756, or at least in the year 757. The next holy man, whose name is associated with Balther, and at the same date, does not appear to have had special relations with him during life. About St. Bilfrid or Bilfred, we have little information. We do not even know that exact place, with which he was connected, but this appears to be somewhere in the diocese of Lindisfarne. During this retirement, he practised the art of the goldsmith, and a specimen of his taste, as an artist, yet exists in the Cot- tonian library, in the British Museum, London. It is a Book of Gospels,^^ ornamented with gems and gold,"9 which was long preserved at Durham. ^o As Bishop Eadfrid succeeded Eadberts^ over Lindisfarne see, where he sat from A. D. 698 to A. D. 720,32 g^jj(j ^g Bilfrid seems to have been his contem- porary, or to have flourished soon after his time, it may not be amiss to ascribe his period to the seventh or eighth century. The day and year for his death have not been discovered. We read, that Anlaf, the Dane, burned
the church and monastery of Tyningham, a. d. 941,^3 or 95i. 3'» Immediately afterwards, he was struck with a sudden illness and died. About two cen-
turies later, a priest, named Elfrid, or Elfred,35 recovered the relics of St. Bil- frid, by a revelation ; and, with these, he also recovered the remains of St.
Acca,3S St. Alkmund,37 the Bishop, King Oswin,38 ^-^^ ^^ Abbesses, Ebba39 and Ethelgitha, being directed to them, by visions. The bones of St. Balther and of St. Bilfrid were put together, ^vith the body of St. Cuthbert,4° in his shrine,atDurham. Butin1104,theywereremovedfromthisshrine,^'and were placed in the shrine of Venerable Bedc^^ The various relics were assigned special places of honour in the great Cathedral of Durham.
*3 The Bollandists have no doubt, that the lives and miracles of the holy men, who
twenty-one years. See Dr. Lingard's "His- tory of England," vol. i. , chap, iii. , p. no. ^ This highly ornate Manuscript has the Prefaces and Canons of Eusebius and of St.
3« His feast occurs, on the 6th of May.
^a At this period, Bishop Ethelwold suc- ceeded, and died on the 1 2th of Febmary,
a. d. 740. This prelate engaged Bilfrid to Jerome in the beginning, while it has a labour, at the work of ornamenting the Saxon version of Aldred Presbyter inserted Book of Gospels, according to Turgot, in
between the lines. This is the Book of St. his " Historia Dunelmensis," lib. ii, cap. Cuthbert, alluded to by Turgot, and by xi.
Simeon of Durham, according to Selden.
"9 A curious story is told, by Turgot, in his "Historia Dunelmensis," lib. ii. , cap. xi. , xii. , that to save it from Danish ravages, this book was brought to Ireland, in a ship, that it fell overboard, and was again mira-
33 See Matthew of Westminster's " Flores Historiarum," a. d. DCCCXLi. , p. 365.
34
Baronius, in his "Annales Ecclesias- tici," thus corrects the chronotaxis of Mat- thoeus Westmonasteriensis.
3S He is called the son of Weston, ia "
culously recovered, that its folios did not Turgot's Historia Dunelmensis," lib. iii. ,
seem in the least stained, by the action of the waves, which was attributed to the merits of St. Cuthbert, and that, in fine, about 1 100, it was preserved in the church of Durham.
cap. vii.
3* His feast is usually assigned to the 20th
of October, the day of his death. His Life occurs, at the same date, in our collection, as classed among the Irish Saints.
30 "On the cover is '»! < Eadfrid, Oetil-
wald, Billfrith, Aldred hoc Evangelium tember.
Deo et Cuthberto construxerunt et ornave-
38 His feast occurs on the 20th of August,
;'
April,
above this in Saxon characters, and
39 Her festivals are on the 2nd qf
nint
in a Northumbrian dialect,
the anchorite he fabricated the curious
works that are on the outside, and it adorned
with gold and with gems, also with silver
overgilded, a priceless treasure. ' Billfri—th
is supposed to be a local form of Bilfred. "
Rev. S. Baring-Gould's "Lives of the the Saints, vol. iii. , March vi. , p. 95. Saints," vol. iii. , March vi. , p. 95. *3 See the Bollandists' "Acta Sancto-
'
And Billfrith,
and 25th of August,
<° See his Life, at the 20th of March,
*' The head of St. Oswald was alone left
37 His festival belongs to the 9th of Sep-
with St. Cuthbert's remains. The Life of St. Oswald is given, at the 5th of August,
*' "
See Rev. S. Baring-Gould's Lives of
"
March 7. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 205
are here commemorated, had been formerly written. While some writers
have placed their festivals, at the 29th of March, and others, at the 27th of
November, most Calendarists prefer the present date. The Scottish Kalen-
dars have St. Baldred, Bishop and Confessor. Thus, the Kalendar of Aber-
deennoteshimPridieNonasMartii. 44 Likewise,inAdamKing'sKalendar,
weread "S. BaldredebischopofGlascowsuccess,toS. Mugoandcofess. :
vnderKingAidanus. S. Fredolinecof. ScotismovnderAnastasi,''atthe6th "
of March. In Dempster's Menologium Scoticum,'' we find the following notices, at the same date, about Baldred, Bishop of Preston, whose body^s was found by Divine power to appease dissensions among the faithful. ^^ St. Balther was venerated with an office, containing nine Lessons.
Article XVI. —Reputed Feast of St. Duthac or Dubthac, Bishop
OF Ross, Scotland. [^Eleventh Century^ St. Duthac, the Bishop, is com-
memorated in the Kalendar " De Nova ^ at the ii. or 6th of Farina," Nones,
March. Hislifeismoreproperlyreferable,tothe8thofthismonth.
^ebentl) 23ay of ilattfj.
ARTICLE I. —ST. MOCELLOC, HERMIT. [FOURTH AND FIFTH CENTURIES. 1
men are willing to look back occasionally into bygone ages, if
MOST that their mental they find, eye
can he
to
the cloud
pierce
which overhangs the past. ^ Yet, with much uncertainty, Colgan^ and the Bollandists3 treat about those statements, which after them we feel here com-
pelled to submit. This saint, originally called Celloc—or perhaps Cellan*—
had the endearing appellative, mo, prefixed to his name, according to a custom of our ancestors, when they wished to express great veneration for a person. 5 He was one of the first converts to our holy faith in Ireland, having flourished before St. Patrick's^ time, according to our ancient records. It is said, our saint was baptized, so early as a. d, 347. That he must have been born, about the middle, or in the earlier part, of the fourth century, would appear, if we credit Ussher's statement, that about a. d. 364,7 this saint, in
nam," tomus i. , Martii vi. De Sanctis blot in Colgan's valuable works—they are
Anachoretis Balthero Presbytero et Bilfrido Aurifabro, sect, iv. , pp. 450, 451.
made pp. 601, 602.
3 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. ,
44 See " of the Proceedings
of
Martii vii. the Among
pretermitted saints,
Society Scottish Antiquaries," vol. ii. , p. 262.
p. 628.
4 At the end of Irish
45 It is added "
4* See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of commutative, in giving them a distinctive
triplicatum. "
names,
oc and an
are
Scottish Saints," pp. 113, 146, 194. Article xvi. —' See Bishop Forbes'
"Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 69.
qualification.
s See Colgan's note I, to this saint's Acts,
p. 112 {recte).
^ See his Life, at the of March. 17th
7 At the year 364, Ussher writes Mochellocus, Beanus, Colmanus, Lachninus,
Articlei. —' See"TheDublin
Literary
Gazette, and National Magazine," vol. i. ,
No. ii. Art. On the Ancient Histoiy and
:
" SS.
the Antiquities of Ireland, by the Rev. Mobiis, Fmdlugus, et Caminanus, apud
Edward
in — Desienses Campo scuti non procul a Lis-
moria septem claras cellas construxerunt. " "Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates. "
Index Chronologicus, pp. 511, 512.
*
Johnston, &c. , p. 161. ^. ^^ . . " '^'^'•^ Sanctorum
Hibernise," Martii vii. De S. Mocelloco Eremita, pp.
Sll, 5^2 [recti). By a misprint—a frequent
taught
2o6 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
common with six other holy men, constructed separate cells in a place, called
"
site of Lismore. Mocelloc lived as a hermit, in his cell or oratory, according
to tradition, many years before the Gospel had been preached in these parts, by Saints Declan,9 Ailbe'° and Kieran. " In common with other religious eremites of the place, Mocelloc is said to have had a vision, on the night of St. Declan's birth, and that, in consequence, he predicted this infant's future greatness, by declaring that the country and people around should one day be subject to his spiritual rule. After this prediction, the Acts of St. Declan state, that seven just men were baptized, in the name of the most Holy Trinity ; and, afterwards, having constructed cells, they lived there in a reli- giousmanner. Fromwhomtheyreceivedbaptism,oratwhatexacttime, we are not informed. " On St. Declan's return from Rome,^3 these seven eremites—among whom our saint was included—waited on him, and placed theircells,withtheirownpersons,underhisruleanddirection. St. Declan's habitation was at Ardmore,^-* at present, the head of a parish, in the barony of Decies within Drum, in the county of Waterford. Here, indeed, are some interesting ruins of St. Declan's oratory, of the mediaeval monastery, of the Cathedral and of the Round Tower. With a description of this latter structure, we must rest satisfied, in this connexion. The Cloigtheach,^^ of Ardmore, owing to its beauty and fine preservation, is one of the best known structures of its kind in Ireland. '^ Its materials consist of a hard sandstone, chiselled to the curve, and brought from the mountains of Slievegrian, about four miles distant. This tower is about 15 feet in diameter, at the base, whence it gradually tapers to the apex, about 97 feet above the surface of the ground. It terminates in a conical roof, which had been half thrown over by injuries from lightning. F. our string-courses divide the exterior into five stories. '7 The entrance is in the east side, at the distance of thirteen feet,
from the ground. This is circular-headed, and it tapers from i foot 11 inches, at springing of the arch, to 2 feet 7 inches, at the base. The full height of this fine doorway is 5 feet 9 inches. Around the outer edges is boldlycutaNorman'shead; and,ontheinsidearebar-holes,twoateach side of the entrance, for securing the door. '^ The lower stories are lighted, by splaying spike-holes; some of these having square, and some circular, heads. As the visitor ascends, he meets grotesque corbels at intervals and staring at him from the concave walls.
Magh-Scethe,^ which signifies,
the Plain of the Buckler," near the present
windows, facing the cardinal points.
The highest story has four tapered Each of these presents on the exterior
^ This denomination now obsolete.
appears
to be
'* the Irish Ecclesiastical Commis- Lately
"
'* Its extensive bounds are defined on the
Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the
sioners undertook the work of restoring the 9 See the Acts of this saint, at the 24th of ancient remains at Ardmore. In August,
July.
'° The Life of this saint will be seen, at
the 1 2th of September.
" The Acts of St. Kieran will be found,
at the 5th of March.
" The Bollandists regard the notices of
this saint, by Colgan, as eminently unsatis- factory.
»^ By some writers, this is thought to have
been so early as a. d. 402, by others, it is placed, at a much later date.
1877, the writer had an opportunity of as-
cending interiorly to the very topmost story, by means of floors and ladders, which now afford a ready means for ascent. The coni- cal cap has been quite repaired, as presented in our present engraving, and in order to preserve the stmcture, about ten or twelve feet of the topmost original masonry had to be removed ; but, as understood, the style, site, and almost identical stones, were re- placed, with the exception of some unavoid- able re-vamping. It is curious to observe within, and immediately under the arched conical top, two opposite and considerable indentations, in the side walls, as if to allow full play for the swing of a large bell.
County of Waterford," Sheets 30, 35,36, 37, 38, 39, 40. The town and ecclesiastical re- mains there are noted on Sheet 40.
'S Anglicised, "Bell-house. "
'? The accompanying illustration, drawn
[March 7.
March 7. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 207
a triangular arch, and on the interior a trefoil head. In height, they are respectively 3 feet 9 inches. The stone lintels remain over the opes, where the beam for a bell rested. Tradition says, it was of so deep and powerful a
"
the great glen," about 8 miles distant. The apex of the roof was once surmounted, by a cross of stone ; but, this was some years since shot down, by a person firing at birds. '9 A distinguished local antiquary,^° on whose authority we rely for the foregoing
tone, that it was heard at Gleannmhor, or
The Round Tower and Ecclesiastical Remains, at Ardmore, County of Waterford.
details, has no hesitation in assigning this noble structure, to the ninth or
tenth century. For, the mouldings of the doonvay, the grotesque corbel heads in the interior, and the square trefoil heads of the windows, in the
upper story, are thought to belong to that period. He adds, that perhaps we may find a reason for the erection of this Cloig-theach, at such a time, in the unsettled state of the country, owing to the predatory landings of the Dubh-galls, Fionn-galls and other sea-rovers.
